Method of blowing glass bottles



Nov. 9, 1954 w. M LAUGHLIN 2,693,667

METHOD OF BLOWING GLASS BOTTLES Filed April 10, 1953 2 Sheeis-Sheet 1 3La 1" l .i a m A757. 1.

IN V EN TOR.

Nov. 9, 1954 M LAUGHLIN 2,693,667

METHOD OF BLOWING GLASS BOTTLES Filed April 10, 1953 6 2 Sheets-Sheet 240/44/014 MZfll/Gl/L //v INVENTOR.

' :rroP/va s WMh-w United States Patent METHOD OF BLOWING GLASS BOTTLESWilliam McLaughlin, Gardena, Calif.

Application April 10, 1953, Serial No. 348,065

3 Claims. (Cl. 49-80) This invention relates to improvements in blowinglarge glass bottles, demijohns, and the like, and 1s particularly usefulin blowing narrow-necked glass containers such as five-gallon waterbottles and thirteen-gallon demijohns.

The invention herein disclosed may be regarded as an improvement overthe disclosure made in my copending application Serial No. 286,153,filed May 5, 1952, entitled Method and Apparatus for Blowing GlassBottles. This application has since become abandoned.

In the above mentioned application there is disclosed a method andapparatus wherein a parison is first formed in a combined parison andneck mold so arranged that the neck mold is openable in advance of theparison mold. When the parison is formed the neck mold forms and shapesthe neck of the bottle or demijohn in its final form. As the wallthickness of the parison within the neck mold is relatively thin thisportion of the parison quickly solidifies. It may become solid beforethe neck mold is open or the opening of the neck mold will quickly allowthe neck portion of the parison to cool and quickly solidify. Thesolidified neck portion of the parison, which is thus given its finalshape in the course of forming the parison, provides a portion to whicha blow pipe is attachable through which the parison may be blown. Italso provides a portion by which the parison may be handled ormanipulated by means of the blow pipe in transferring the parison to areheater and to a blow mold in Vihlch the parison is blown to its finalshape below the nec The present invention contemplates forming theparison in a combined parison and neck mold wherein the neck mold isopenable in advance of the parison mold and will shape the upper portionof the parison into the final form of the neck of the bottle ordemijohn. This portion collects and soldifies into its final shape andforms a solidified portion by which the parison may be manipulated andthrough which the parison may be blown. The parison is then transferredto a reheater and after being reheated it is then transferred to a blankmold designed to shape the shoulders of the bottle or demijohn. Afterthe shoulders have been given their final shape, or substantially so, bythe blank mold the parison is again transferred to a reheater and thelower portion of the parison below the solidified shoulders is againreheated leaving the shoulders and the neck portion of the parison solidor substantially so. After the lower portion only of the parison hasbeen reheated to render it sufficiently plastic for blowing the parisonis transferred to a blow mold and the lower portion of the parison orthat portion below the shoulders is completely blown. This formation ofthe shoulders of the bottle in the blank mold prior to the transfer ofthe parison to the blow mold results in several advantages in blowinglarge glass bottles and demijohns of the type referred to herein. Oneadvantage resides in the fact that the wall thickness of the shoulderscan be maintained adequately heavy.

Another advantage is that the glass that forms the vertical walls of thebottle beneath the shoulders will not tend to overlap the glass that isused to form the shoulders, forming objectionable neckties.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be mademanifest in the following detailed description and specifically pointedout in the appended claims, reference is had to the accompanyingdrawings for an illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

Figure 1 is a sectional view through a combined pariice son and neckmold illustrating the manner in which the parison is initially formed inaccordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section illustrating the manner in which theparison, after its neck has solidified, is transferred to a reheater;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section illustrating the parison as having beenintroduced into a blank mold in which the parison is partially blown soas to form the shoulders of the bottle or demijohn; I

Fig. 4 is a vertical section illustrating the parison as having beentransferred to a second reheater designed to reheat the lower portion ofthe parison only leaving the neck and shoulders in solidified conditionor substantially so;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section illustrating the parison in the course ofits transfer from the reheater shown in Fig. 4 to the blow mold; and

Fig. 6 is a vertical section illustrating the parison in the course ofits being blown in the blow mold.

Referring to the accompanying drawings wherein similar. referencecharacters designate similar parts throughout, 10 indicates a parisonmold over which there is disposed a neck mold 11. The parison mold 10and the neck mold 11 are made of openable parts or halves in conformitywith conventional practice. However, the combined parison and neck molddiffer from the conventional combined parison and neck mold in that theneck mold 11 is so arranged with respect to the parison mold 10 that theneck mold 11 is openable in advance of the parison mold 10. The combinedparison and neck mold are adapted to be introduced into a glass furnaceand to have the parison P sucked up therein. A vacuum tube 12 isconnected to the neck mold 11 and to various passages 13 in the neckmold and parison mold so that a partial vacuum can be created within thecombined parison and neck mold to draw the glass that forms the parisonup into the mold.

The top of the neck mold 11 is closed by a removable plunger 14 whichcores out the top of the parison and cores out the mouth of the bottleor demijohn that is ultimately formed. As the combined mold is withdrawnfrom the glass furnace the bottom of the parison mold passes over atrimmer 15 which shears off the glass from the bottom of the parison. Itwill be observed that the walls of the parison surrounding the plunger14 are relatively thin and consequently the glass that is within the theneck mold 111 quickly cools and solidifies. If this does not take placeprior to the opening of the neck mold 11, the neck mold is open and theexposure of the upper portion of the parison causes it to quickly cooland solidify. The neck mold is so shaped as to impart to the upperportion of the parison its final formation and while the plunger 14 maynot give to this upper portion of the parison its final form, it verynearly does so. This solidified neck on the parison enables a blow pipeto be attached thereto by which the parison may be subsequently blownand manipulated. When the neck mold 11 has been opened and the neckportion has solidified a blow pipe 16 is applied thereto. This blow pipehas a threaded lower end, indicated at 17, on which a nut 18 isrotatable. The nut has a coned portion 19 engageable with fingers 20 onlevers 21 that are pivoted at 22 on a surrounding ring 23. The levers 21have jaws 24 pivoted thereto as at 25. These jaws are designed to fitaround the solidified neck portion of the parison. When the nut 16 isscrewed upwardly on the blow pipe 16 the aws 24 are caused to contractby means of the levers 21 about the solidified neck portion of theparison. The bottom of the blow bestos washer 26 designed to engage themouth of the parison and prevent the escape of air in the course ofblowmg. When the blow pipe 16 has been attached to the solidified neckof the parison the parison is transferred thereby to a reheater 27 asillustrated in Fig. 2. This reheater is so designed as to reheat theparison below the solidified neck but to leave the solidified neck inits solid condition.

When the parison has thus been reheated it is transferred to a blankmold 28, as shown in Fig. 3. This blank mold is preferably made of upperand lower parts,

pipe may be equipped with an asthe upper part 29 being formed of twohalves which are openable'i-ndependentlyof thelower portion 30. I heupper portion 29 may be regarded as a shoulder mold in that its interioris so shaped as to impart to the portion of the parison .immediateLysbelow neck the final shapingof the .shouldersor slrbstantially :so.While the parison is in the blank mold, compressed air issuppliedthrough the blow pipe E16 and the .parison .part'ially blown therein.:In .the connect blowing the shoulders 31 the lower portion of theparisonis-supported by the lower half of the blank mold .so that theweight of :the parison does not 'tendwto excessivelydraw outoor'thin outthese shoulders. Consequently the shoulders may be maintained ofadequate thickness.

After the-parison has been-partiallyrblown, as indicated in Fig. 3, it.is .transferredday means oi-the 'blow pipe .16 to a secondreheater,illustrated at'ill on .Fig. A. This reheater preferably .difiers :fromthe .reheater shown in Fig. 2 in that its walls are vertical.Consequently they .do not convergearoundthe nppenportion of theparisonthat is immediately beneathathe neck. When the parison is in thisreheater the intention is ltoiheat .theilowervpoljtionof the.parisononly, :leaving rthe shoulders 31 which have been.shaped-intheblanklmoldflfi in their solidified condition.

When the parisonihas been :reheated in the reheater 32 it is transferredby means ofathe blow :pipe 16 to the blow mold 33. .In the .course .ofthetransfer the parison tendsto'lengthen.outsomewhahasis illustrated inFig. 5, but as the .shoulderportions :31.remain in their solidifiedcondition, .or substantially so, theseportions are not unnecessarilythinned and serve to .cau'se theglass to widen somewhat in :the course.of its lengthening. When the parison is thus transferred into the blow.mold 33, com pressed air is again supplied through the blow pipe 16 andthe parison .is completely blown -to its .final shape, after which'itlmayibe removed from the .blow mold and transferred to the annealingoven.

As the shoulder portions 31 have solidified, .or sub .stantially so,prior to being iransferredto-the blow mold, there is little if anytendency of the wa'll portions 34 to crowd upwardly or to overlap .theshoulder portions in the course of thisafinal blowing operationcausfin-g objectionable neckties. Consequently there is no objectionableweakness .at the juncture between-the shoulder portions :31 and .theportions 34. furthermore, the shoulder portions, wall vportions, andbottom-of the bot- .tle may be maintained .atsubstantially uniform andadequate thickness.

From the above described method it will be appreciatedlthat the bottleordemijohn .;is formedfrom aparison that is progressively shaped andsolidified from --the top of v.the parison downward-1y, that is, theneck portion is first shaped by :the .neck mold 1'1 and is allowed tosolidify so that .:-t he parison :may be manipulated thereby. Secondly,:the parison, after :being reheated, is partially :blown in :the blankmold 28, forming the shoulders 31 whichare allowed to soldify.A-fter'again being reheated without materially softening the formedshoulders 31 ,or the :formed neck, the .parison is finally transferredto the blow mold and is'blown therein without materially altering .ormodifying the formed neck and formed shoulders. It will be found thatthe use of this method enables large bottles and demijohns to be easilyand economically produced.

Various changes may be made in the steps of the method without departingfrom the spirit and seope of the invention as defined by--the appendedclaims.

I claim:

l. The method of producing glass bottles, demijohns, and the like, whichincludes forming a parison in a combined parison and neck mold, openingthe neck mold and allowing the neck portion of the parison to cool andsolidify, transferring the parison by the solidified neck to a blankmold, blow'ing'the parison-in the blank mold to form the shoulders ofthe bottle to substantially their final form, reheating that portion'ofthe parison below the shoulders umtil :sQft rwithout materiallysoftening the shoulder or neck portions, transferring the parison by thesolidified neck to ablowmoldandlblowing the reheated portion of parisonbelow the shoulders in the blow mold to final form.

2. The method of producing glass bottles, demijohns, and the lik'whiehincludes forming a parison in acombm d parisonandneck mold,opening the neck mold, ransferring the J-narisonlby means of the neckportion .of the parison :to a reheater, reheating that portion of theparison below the neck portion until soft without softening the neckportion, transferring :the parison by .the "neck portion ;to .a blankmold, blowing the reheated portion of the parisoniin. the. blank :moldto form the shoulders of the bottle ;to substantially their final form,r heating tbesparison helowthe shoulders .until soft with- ..0.llt matri lly softening the shoulders .or neck portion, .transterring theparison tola .blow mold and blowing the reheated portion .LQf ttheparison below the shoulders :in the blow mold to :zfinal norm.

;3- l liermethod ofyproducing large glass :bottles,.demiloh l and thelike, having relatively small .necks and :rlelati elybroad shoulderswhich includes forming a panzsontin a ,combined parison and neckmolchopening the n ck mddrtnansferring :theparison .by means ofthe neckportion of-the parisonto a rleheater, reheating the parison below ;theneck portion until .soft without softening the neck ;-portion,transferring the parison .by the neck P0113311 :to azblankmold, blowing;that portion of the parisen below the neck in the :blank mold to formthe should rs of :the bottle to substantially their final form, reheatmgthat =port1on .of the .parison below the shoulders Until softlwithoutmaterially softening the shoulders or neck portiomltransferring the:parison :by the neck portion :19 able-w .mold :and blowing (thereheatedportion of the parlson below the shoulders in the blow mold intofinal orm.

References Cited :iHlt-he file .of this patent STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 50031841 Atterbury July 4, 1883 609,704 Ripley Aug. 23, 189860,159 Richardson May 17, 1904 1,080,372 Schiller Dec. 2, '1-913 2,22 ,98 .Beatty Dec. 24, 1 940 52,512,781 Stewart June 27, 1950 FOREIGN.PATENTS Number Country Date ,382/3d ,Austnalia Dec. 24, 1931 757,536France Oct. '16, 1933

